The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed a police officer in Satna district to plant at least 1,000 saplings as a corrective measure for his delay in serving a court notice to a rape survivor.

A division bench comprising Justices Vivek Agarwal and A.K. Singh passed the order on Tuesday, directing Ravendra Dwivedi, Station House Officer (SHO) of City Kotwali Police Station, Satna, to complete the plantation between July 1 and August 31, 2025, in Chitrakoot, Satna district.

“The SHO shall bear the cost of this plantation on his own,” the bench stated.

SHO Dwivedi had submitted an unconditional apology to the Court for the delay and expressed his willingness not only to pay the ₹5,000 penalty imposed earlier by the Inspector General of Police but also to undertake the tree plantation initiative.

In its order, the Court specified:

“Let fruiting trees like mango, jamun, mahua, guava, etc. be planted, and their photographs along with GPS locations be submitted to the High Court Registry as part of the compliance report.”

The Court further directed that an affidavit from the Superintendent of Police be filed following the physical inspection of the planted trees. The trees must be maintained for at least one year to ensure proper germination and growth.

The directions were issued during the hearing of a criminal appeal filed by a convict challenging the life sentence imposed on him by a special court in a rape case involving a minor girl.

In such cases, when a convict appeals the sentence, the Court issues notices to the victim to ensure her opportunity to be heard — a responsibility that lies with the police. The delay in serving this notice prompted the Court’s environmentally constructive penalty.